the leaves and away from the mud. The
foliage is truly handsome, short, finely toothed, rolled back,
pleasingly wrinkled, and of a pale green colour. It is very hardy,
standing all kinds of weather, and I never saw it rot at the older
crowns, like so many of the fine varieties, but it goes on growing,
forming itself into large tufts a foot and more across.

It has been tried in stiff loam and light vegetable soil; in shade, and
fully exposed; it has proved to do equally well in both kinds of soil,
but where it received the full force of the summer sun the plants were
weak, infested with red spider, and had a poorer crop of flowers. It
would, therefore, appear that soil is of little or no importance, but
that partial shade is needful. It is not only a variety worth the
having, but one which deserves to have the best possible treatment, for
flowers in winter--and such flowers--are worth all care.

Flowering periods, late autumn and early spring to June.

Pulmonarias.

LUNGWORTS; _Nat. Ord._ BORAGINACEAE.

In speaking of these hardy herbaceous perennials, I should wish to be
understood that the section, often and more properly called _Mertensia_,
is not included because they are so very distinct in habit and colour of
both flowers and foliage. Most of the Pulmonarias begin to flower early
in March, and continue to do so for a very long time, quite two months.

For the most part, the flowers (which are borne on stems about 8in.
high, in straggling clusters) are of changing colours, as from pink to
blue; they are small but pretty, and also have a quaint appearance. The
foliage during the blooming period is not nearly developed, the plants
being then somewhat small in all their parts, but later the leaf growth
goes on rapidly, and some kinds are truly handsome from their fine
spreading habit and clear markings of large white spots on the leaves,
which are often 9in. or 10in. long and 3in. broad, oblong, lanceolate,
taper-pointed, and rough, with stiff hairs. At this stage they would
seem to be in their most decorative form, though their flowers, in a cut
state, formed into "posies," are very beautiful and really charming when
massed for table decoration; on the plant they have a faded appearance.

Many of the species or varieties have but slight distinctions, though
all are beautiful. A few may be briefly noticed otherwise than as above:

_P. officinalis_ is British, and typical of several others. Flowers
pin